


Roses and Soulmates

by RowenaHermioneRavenclaw



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Lady Hermione Ravenclaw, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), OOC Severus Snape, OOC Sirius Black, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Hermione Granger, Ravenclaw Hermione Granger, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:47:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29240067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowenaHermioneRavenclaw/pseuds/RowenaHermioneRavenclaw
Summary: Hermione Dagworth-Granger. Pureblood. Ravenclaw. Intelligent. Witty. Lost.Regulus Black. Pureblood. Slytherin. To-be Death Eater. Cunning. Ambitious. Lost.So different, yet the same.Soulmates.
Relationships: Regulus Black/Hermione Granger
Comments: 7
Kudos: 105





	1. An Accidental Kiss - Hermione Dagworth-Granger

"Blood traitor." Regulus Black sneered, his cold grey eyes glinting.

"I swear, Black, I'll -," Hermione Dagworth-Granger warned, her golden eyes, which were flashing furiously, connecting with his grey.

"You'll what?" Black taunted, his lips stretched into a mocking smile.

This rivalry between Hermione Dagworth-Granger and Regulus Black had started on the first day of school, when Regulus had pushed Hermione into the Black Lake. She'd pranked him the morning after, and a day after that Hermione started belching loudly. They took turns pranking each other, each prank more vicious than the last, until second year, when they both deemed themselves too mature for silly pranks. From then on, the two had simply traded insults (and hexes) in the corridors, and tried hard to be more intelligent than the other, smirking smugly when they got O's in their essays or beat another in tests. Now, in their fifth year, with both of them as prefects, the rivalry had not lessened one bit.

"I'll hex your bollocks off!" Hermione threatened, fingering her wand.

Black laughed mockingly. "We both know that you're not powerful enough to do that."

Hermione felt a building fury inside her. "I can and I will, Black!"

He sneered again. "And I can, and I will too, blood traitor."

Hermione fought past Pandora, who was trying to block her. She lifted her face to Black's, then drew back her fist. His nose gave a satisfying crunch as it broke, but when Hermione released her fist she'd gotten too close to the Slytherin as she stepped forwards, and their lips touched.

Immediately, there was a tingling sensation in her body. It traveled throughout her arms, her legs, her chest. Her magic sung in happiness. His lips were soft, softer than any Slytherin's could be, and Hermione could imagine just standing here, kissing him forever.

'What in Merlin's name are you thinking?' the rational part of her mind shrieked at her. 'This is Black, you idiot!'

Hermione pulled away. Her magic groaned in protest, but she ignored it.

Damn. It.

In the Wizarding World, everyone had a soulmate, that the Fates assigned to them. Your soulmate is the person you will live with forever, that you will be the happiest with.

How did you know who was your soulmate? For everyone, it would be different. Some lucky people had their soulmate's name tattooed on their skin since birth. There were some witches and wizards whose soulmate's thoughts appeared on their skin. Some could sense their soulmate's magic. Others could see (probably a magical aura or something) or smell (how did that work? Did the soulmate smell like roses or something?) or feel (when your soulmate touched you, you would know that they were your soulmate) or hear (Hermione didn't know how that worked either - maybe when you heard your soulmates voice you would simply know that the owner of that voice was your soulmate?), but the unluckiest soulmate-sense of all was taste.

If you had the soulmate-sense of taste, you had to kiss your soulmate to know that they were your soulmate.

Hermione had not had a name tattooed on her skin since birth, nor did she have writing on her skin that was her soulmate's thoughts. When she had gotten to Hogwarts, but had not seen/smelled/felt/heard her soulmate, her parents had suggested that perhaps her soulmate was not at Hogwarts. Hermione had been crestfallen, but accepted it for what it was.

But now, her magic was telling her that Regulus bloody Black was her soulmate.

She stared at him in shock and astonishment, and her emotions were reflected in his eyes, with something that she could not name.

Somewhere, the bell rang, signalling the next lesson's start, but Hermione paid no attention to it.

"S-sorry." she managed to stutter, grabbed Pandora's hand, and shot off for class, not looking behind her.

* * *

"Miss Dagworth-Granger, are you listening?"

Hermione snapped out of her trance and stared at Professor McGonagall's stern face. "Um...no?"

McGonagall tsked. "Five points from Ravenclaw, Miss Dagworth-Granger."

Hermione nodded, already deep in her thoughts once more.

So, Regulus Black was her soulmate. What should she do? Pretend that incident never happened? Or try to severe their rivalry? Neither option sounded good. If she chose the first option, he would call her a coward, and if it was one thing Hermione Dagworth-Granger wasn't, it was a coward. If she chose the second option, she'd likely end up looking the fool anyways.

Or maybe try to...talk? Try to create a cordial sort of relationship between the two of them? But that was barely possible; their rivalry had reached the point of being ridiculous. There was no way that she would back down, soulmate or not.

But perhaps she could try. She made a mental note to send a note to her parents about this, and talk to them in person. She wasn't going to tell them all of this in a letter, which could be easily intercepted and read. No. This was too personal.

"So, I was saying..." Professor McGonagall started again, pointedly looking at her.

* * *

_'Dear Mother and Father,_

_I hope this letter reaches you. I have very important business to talk to you about._

_Namely, soulmates._

_I dare not write personal, important things in this letter, for fear of it being intercepted._

_Attached is a mirror, which I have enchanted, as well as mine, to be two-way._

_I will, if you agree, to call you via the mirrors on the 17th._

_Love,_

_Your daughter,_

_Hermione Dagworth-Granger'_

Hermione put down her quill and put a temporary sticking charm on the two-way mirror. She smiled with satisfaction.

"Aelia?" she called gently. Her snowy white owl flew down from her perch and hooted at her. Hermione stared right into Aelia's golden eyes. She had learned that maintaining eye contact with her owl tended to get better reception from Aelia, and made sure to do it every time she wanted to send a letter.

"I want you to take this to Mother and Father."

Aelia hooted in acceptance and Hermione tied her letter to the owl's leg, before Aelia hooted one last time and flew out the open window.

Hermione sighed in relief. Perhaps she would get answers soon.


	2. The Matter of Soulmates - Regulus Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus Black thinks about his soulmate, and he and Severus search for advice.

“You hear me, Reg?”

Regulus Black nodded his head unconciously. “I do, Sev.” he replied back.

“Then what did I just say?” Severus questioned.

Regulus scrambled for an answer. “Excited for N.E.W.T. exams?” he tried lamely.

Severus gave him a deeply unimpressed look. “No.”

“Then what?”

“I was talking about that accidental kiss you had with Dagworth-Granger today.”

Regulus tensed; he didn’t need to be reminded of the fact that the Fates had assigned Hermione Dagworth-Granger to be his soulmate. There was no way that they could be happy together; they both hated one another to the point of insanity.

Severus gave him a self-satisfied smirk. “So, what’s going on between you and Dagworth-Granger? You’re acting very weirdly, Reg.”

“Nothing,” he drawled in a bored tone, though he was anything but.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “I’m a Slytherin, Reg, and I know you, so don’t think that you can fool me.”

“Fine.” Regulus gave in. He leaned closer. “I’m thinking about that kiss too.”

“What about it?” Severus asked curiously, closing his book.

Regulus fidgeted, suddenly looking nervous. It was lucky that they were in the library, where not a lot of people came, and that they had put up a privacy charm; if a Slytherin heard this conversation, Regulus’s reputation would be ruined, because soulmates was a topic most Slytherins considered 'softy'.

“You know about soulmates?” he asked.

Severus nodded. “Yes.” Then he cottoned on to what Regulus didn’t want to say. “Are you saying - she’s your soulmate?”

Regulus nodded uncomfortably. “Yes.”

Severus leaned back, an expression of utmost shock on his face. “You - and her? You’ve got the soulmate-sense of taste?”

“It seems so,” Regulus answered. “I didn’t choose her, you know! The Fates chose her for me!”

“Which means that you’ll be a perfect match.” Severus shot back.

"But she's - but she's Dagworth-Granger!"

"Doesn't matter," Severus said flippantly, opening his book once more. "She's your soulmate."

"Fine. Let's say that I accept that she's my soulmate. What do I do? It's not like I can just march up to her and say, 'Hi! You're my soulmate, so maybe we can make up?' Dagworth-Granger's too stubborn for that too work."

"You can try." Severus suggested. "Or maybe ask others for advice."

Regulus hesitated. He was a Black, and Blacks couldn't show weakness. Asking others for advice would certainly define as showing weakness. But perhaps, if that person was friendly enough with him that he wouldn't tell...

He jumped up, completely forgetting his pureblood posture. "Goodbye, Severus! See you later!"

Severus stared after him, looking bemused.

* * *

"Sirius! Hey, Sirius! Are you listening?" Regulus called, frustrated.

"I am, Reggie!"

"Don't call me that, Sirius! And I need your help!"

When Regulus had been sorted into Slytherin, Sirius had ignored his brother for the first half year. Then, Regulus got annoyed with his brother's antics, and had a talk (read: a long lecture, involving a good amount of threats) with him. In the summer between fifth and sixth year, when Sirius had run away to the Potters, they'd promised to stay in touch. So here they were, in Sirius's last year, still as close as brothers could be.

Now, Sirius was in an alcove, planning something (read: a prank) with Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew. His head peeked out.

He was smirking victoriously. "Now you need my help."

Regulus fought the urge to punch him. "Yes."

"About what?"

"Soulmates."

Sirius hopped out of the alcove. "See you later, Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, but Reggie's all grown up and needs love advice!"

"Sirius!"

When they had both ducked into another alcove and warded it, Sirius said, "So you've found your soulmate?"

"Yes."

"Who's the lucky witch?" Sirius smirked.

"Hermione Dagworth-Granger." Regulus answered, staring resolutely at the wall.

Sirius sputtered. "The one who punched you in third year? The one who threw that Bat-Bogey Hex at you in fourth year? The one you're constantly shouting at?"

"No, the other Dagworth-Granger." Regulus said sarcastically. "Of course it's that one."

A second later and Sirius was smirking again. "So, what do you want my advice on? Snog-"

Regulus stared at him, unimpressed. "No. What should I do?"

Sirius shrugged. "Kiss her again? Drag her into a broom closet and snog her?"

"Not helpful!" Regulus snapped. "We've got a lifelong rivalry and we've just found out that we're soulmates! I can't just do that!"

* * *

"What did Black advise you to do?"

"Snog her." Regulus answered sourly.

"Lily suggested that you make up to her." Severus said.

"But then I'll look weak!"

Severus sighed. "Sometimes, you've got to give up something for another."

* * *

Regulus picked at his food, not feeling remotely hungry. The Slytherins were alive with idle chatter; Yaxley laughed at something Flitwick did during Charms with Mulciber; Severus talked about his Potions essay with Lucius Malfoy; Avery was talking in whispers with the Carrow twins.

His mother, Walburga Black, had suggested that he join the Death Eaters after graduation. Actually, Walburga Black didn't suggest things; she demanded them. Which meant that once he finished his seventh year, he would become a follower of the Dark Lord. Though it was still years away, Regulus felt the growing dread in the pit of his stomach.

His soulmate being Hermione Dagworth-Granger certainly complicated things. He'd read about soulmate bonds; if one soulmate knowingly put the other in the path of danger (assuming that they knew that they were each other's soulmate) the soulmate would feel the same pain as the other did. It was their punishment from the Fates, for endangering the witch or wizard that had been chosen specifically for them. The Dagworth-Grangers were a Light-aligned family; the Blacks were Dark-aligned, and if Hermione Dagworth-Granger chose to fight, they would certainly cross paths.

He realised that he hadn't eaten yet. So as not to attract attention, he spooned some beans and pretended to chew. However, he didn't notice the observant silver eyes of Lucius Malfoy.


	3. A Talk Through Mirrors - Hermione Dagworth-Granger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long-awaited mirror call comes for Hermione, and her parents give her advice.

_'Dearest Hermione,_

_These mirrors are very interesting. We do hope that you will tell us the spell that was used. Was it one of your own inventions?_

_So you have found your soulmate, and need advice. Normally, I would tell you to go up to them and talk with them, but I have a feeling that this case is much more complicated._

_Be sure that you are on your mirror on the 17th, at 24 00._

_Love,_

_Your parents,_

_Hector and Hermia Dagworth-Granger'_

Hermione sighed in relief as she read the letter, and chucked Aelia a few owl treats. She burned the letter up (you could never be too careful) and Vanished the ashes.

She traipsed down the stairs to the Ravenclaw Common Room, and sat in a blue plush chair next to Pandora. Hermione set her finished Transfiguration essay on the table next to Pandora's half-done one, and rummaged in her bag for a fresh piece of parchment. She dipped her quill in her ink and started to do her Ancient Runes translations.

"Thanks," Pandora said gratefully, snatching up her essay.

This was normal for them; if one of them finished an assignment the other hadn't done yet, they would let the other start and get at least halfway through before lending them the finished assignment to save time. Hermione often was the one finishing first.

"You're welcome," she returned affectionately. "Hey, how's your relationship with Xeno going?"

Pandora dropped her essay. "How did you know?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Please, don't think that I didn't see you two making eyes at each other all the time. I'm a Ravenclaw for a reason."

Pandora groaned, picked up the essay, and put her head in her hands. "Of course you would."

"When were you planning to tell me?" she asked.

Pandora blushed very red. "I don't know."

Hermione laughed. "Well, that's alright, as long as you tell me when something this big happens next time."

Pandora nodded. "Sure."

Hermione completed her Ancient Runes translations, Astronomy chart, Charms essay, Potions essay and Arithmancy calculations. _"Tempus,"_ she cast.

_23:51._

Hermione jumped up in her seat. "I didn't know I'd been in here for so long! Bye, Pandora!"

Pandora blinked. "But -"

Hermione had already disappeared up the steps. She flung open the dorm's door, silenced her bed, and whipped out her mirror. She'd nearly forgotten the talk with her parents!

At the stroke of midnight, she said to the mirror, "Hector Dagworth-Granger."

There was a pause, then her father's image appeared. "Hello, Hermione."

"Hello, Father." she returned respectfully, with a smile.

Her mother, Hermia Dagworth-Granger, appeared behind him. "Hello, darling." 

"Hello, Mother." Hermione said, still smiling.

"So." her father interrupted. "What's this about a soulmate?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. Why did she want to have a talk with her parents, about this topic of all things? Oh yes. Advice. "You know about soulmate senses?"

Her mother gave her a reproachful look. "We were the ones who told you about them, Hermione."

Hermione nodded. "Um...you know that I didn't have a name or any type of word tattooed on my skin?"

Hector frowned at her. "Don't avoid the subject."

"I'm not avoiding the subject! You know that I didn't...sense or just know that my soulmate was at Hogwarts, right?"

The world-famous Potions Master raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I found out that I have the soulmate-sense of _taste_."

There was a pause, in which both Hector and Hermia's mouth dropped open, then Hermia said, clearly in hopes of lightening the mood, "Unlucky you. Who's the lucky wizard?"

"Do you know the idiot who pushed me into the Black Lake, also known as Regulus Black?"

Hector clearly understood. "Oh. While this is life-changing news, mind your language."

Hermione nodded. "I need advice."

Hermia gained her voice back. "I take it that you are not on good terms with this Regulus Black wizard."

Hermione shook her head. "Definitely not."

"You could try talking to him about this," her mother suggested. "Perhaps smooth the ice over."

"Or," Hector put in, "you can just ignore him."

"Hector!"

"What? That works too!"

"He's her soulmate, for Merlin's sake! We can't just ignore that!"

"I suppose you have a good point."

"Right..." Hermione cut in. "So...talk to him?"

Hermia smiled warmly. "Yes. Try to be cordial, then friendly, then, perhaps, it can progress into something more."

Hermione scrunched her nose up daintily. "Very funny, Mother."

"Be witty. Show off, but don't show off. Attract his attention in a good way, but make sure it doesn't look like you're doing it on purpose."

* * *

Both Hermione and Regulus were awkward around one another after that incident. Whenever they passed in the corridors, they would immediately become interested in docking points off an unsuspecting third year, or just stare at the floor. It was like a duel, both of them knowing the risks, but not wanting to risk anything, dancing around each other. Nervous eyes ignored each other, even when they were forced to partner up, and backs turned quicker than you could say 'Black'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a filler chapter and it's a bit shorter than the other two. Next chapter: Hermione and Regulus's first real conversation since the kissing incident!


	4. An Awkward Confrontation - Regulus Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prefect patrol prompts Hermione and Regulus to confront each other.

Regulus stared at the Prefect Patrol Timetable. There was no way the Heads could be so bloody cruel.

_20 00 - 21 30: Regulus Black (Slytherin, 5th year) & Hermione Dagworth-Granger (Ravenclaw, 5th year)_

One and a half hours, alone with Dagworth-Granger! Honestly, the world never ceased to torment him.

"What are you cursing?" Severus's voice asked mildly.

Regulus realized that he had spat out a mouthful of curses that his mother would wash out his mouth for if she heard them. Heturned around. "Nothing."

Severus gave him an unconvinced look. "If 'nothing' has nothing to do with Dagworth-Granger, I'm not a Slytherin."

Regulus sighed and rubbed his head. "Yes. It is. What should I do?"

"You can talk." Severus suggested sarcastically. "Sort it out."

"That's not helping at all."

* * *

"You're late, Black." Dagworth-Granger said, looking unimpressed.

"By three minutes." Regulus retorted.

"Four minutes." Dagworth-Granger corrected. "That's a lot of time."

Regulus threw up his hands in exasperation. "We'll waste more time if you keep arguing."

Dagworth-Granger sent him another glare, but otherwise didn't comment. 

They patrolled the fifth floor in silence, occasionally calling out students past curfew and taking house points. Regulus thought that this stupid patrol could pass without any talking between either of them, but apparently he was mistaken, because halfway through, when they were on the sixth floor, Dagworth-Granger stopped in her tracks.

She drew her wand and muttered a few spells, a few of which Regulus recognized as privacy and silencing charms. Finally, she turned to him. "Explain this, Black." she thrust today's Prophet at him.

**MASKED ATTACKERS REVEAL THEMSELVES!**

_Today, the masked witches and wizards attacking Muggleborns, halfbloods, and so-called blood traitors alike revealed themselves as 'Death Eaters', who follow another masked stranger who calls himself Lord Voldemort and stands in the name of blood purity._

_Are we heading for another Wizarding War? For the first time since Grindelwald, our view on blood relations is dividing our world._

Regulus didn't read more. He felt slightly sick.

He knew about this, known about it all beforehand, since his mother wanted him to join. Regulus had denied, insisting that he wanted to complete his education. He'd felt disgusted by what they were doing, and refused to be part of it.

Unfortunately, he'd been lost in his thoughts and he hadn't noticed when Dagworth-Granger waved a hand in front of his face before she slapped him.

He blinked, effectively coming out of his reverie. "What?" he snapped at her.

"You weren't answering, Black," Dagworth-Granger told him, in that annoyingly superior tone of hers.

"I...I don't know anything about it." said Regulus, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue.

His patrol partner gave him an unconvinced look, but didn't ask him to elaborate.

After the most uncomfortable silence ever, Dagworth-Granger said hesitantly, "I wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah?"

"About the...kiss incident."

Regulus nearly walked into a wall. "What, again?"

"The kiss incident," she repeated, more forcefully.

"I heard you, Dagworth-Granger! But don't you think that this is not the place to discuss it?"

She grabbed his arm. "Black."

He blinked at her. "Yes?"

She paused. "Are we going to talk about it, or act like it never happened?"

Regulus shrugged nonchalantly, though his insides were curling up. 

"Well," said Dagworth-Granger uneasily, "do you know about the soulmate-sense of...taste?"

"Of course I do," he snapped. "What respectable pureblood doesn't?"

The Ravenclaw, for her part, didn't rise to the bait. "And...you know...that feeling?"

Usually, Regulus would have laughed at her awkwardness, if he was not feeling more awkward than she could possibly feel.

"Yes," he said reluctantly.

"And?"

He swallowed. "I want to...work it out with you."

She smirked. "Thought so."

"Not...anything, alright?" Regulus continued, knowing how stupid he was sounding to her. "Just...acquaintances?"

She nodded slightly. "Alright. But this doesn't mean that you can continue on to be insufferable."

A slight, but genuine smile appeared on his face.

"I think I heard a scuffing nose there," Dagworth-Granger said, pointing to an alcove. 

* * *

Needless to say, their first interaction after their agreement was awkward.

It was fifth period on the next day, when they were both heading for Charms. On the way, Regulus found a sixth year Gryffindor and seventh year Slytherin duelling (badly).

Dagworth-Granger appeared next to him not a second later, and scowled at the duellers. "Magic is not allowed in the corridors! Twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin each, and go up to the Hospital Wing!"

It was then she seemed to realize that he was there. "Hello, Black," she greeted awkwardly.

"Hello, Dagworth-Granger," he said, shuffling his feet in a rare display of nervousness.

"Um..." she seemed unsure of what to say, and turned to the sixth year Gryffindor and seventh year Slytherin. "Go up to the Hospital Wing now, or I'll take even more points!"

After the complete idiots who decided it was a good idea to duel in the halls left, she turned to him. "Um...Black."

They could hear whispering in the background. "Why aren't they fighting? Why do they look nervous? Why are they staring at each other?" and the scandalous gossip, "I heard they have a secret affair and they're disguising it behind hate! I heard that she's pregnant with Black's baby! I heard that they're soulmates!"

The last one made Regulus school his features into an expressionless mask. Dagworth-Granger mimicked him, her wand creeping into her hand. "So. Black. See you tonight. For prefect patrol, I mean."

He blinked. He wasn't aware that he was patrolling with Dagworth-Granger tonight. The Heads were definitely doing this on purpose. "I don't look forward to it." he said, purposely keeping his voice devoid of emotion.

He thought that he saw a flash of hurt cross Dagworth-Granger's face, but then the expressionless mask slid into place again and she said, "Me neither, Black."

They set off for Charms, pointedly ignoring each other. Luckily, they had both left early from their previous classes, and arrived right on time. Regulus didn't even notice when his hand settled on hers for a moment, and clearly she didn't either, until they opened the doors, everyone stared at them and the whole class burst into chatter.

She looked around for a moment, as if trying to figure out if it was someone behind them that everyone was talking about, and her chocolate-brown eyes landed on their still interlocked hands. She quickly removed hers, blushing furiously.

The class was still staring at them as they strode to their seats and purposely looked away from each other, but that didn't discourage their nattering classmates.

"Calm down, class, calm down," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Please be quiet...listen..."

But his words were drowned out by the voices of the class, all of them talking about the 'secret love lives of Black and Dagworth-Granger'. Regulus wanted to slam his head into his desk, but he was a Black, and that was unbecoming of someone of his status.

"Everyone, shut up," said Dagworth-Granger loudly. 

The chattering ceased and everyone stared at her, looking expectant. She didn't seem to know what to do, but said, "There's nothing between me and this...I mean Black. Really. Except for our lifelong rivalry."

She glared at him for extra emphasis. Regulus didn't even feel stung by it, or her almost calling him something rude (he didn't need to guess).

"Yes..." Professor Flitwick drew out the word slowly. "Now, as we have stopped talking about two of our classmates's love lives, let us begin."

They both ignored each other for the remainder of the lesson, not even when they reached the box containing the objects that they were supposed to be charming at the same time. They glared at each other, and thrust their hands inside the box at the same time, before promptly turning their backs on each other and marching back to their respective seats.


	5. Voices in Her Mind - Hermione Dagworth-Granger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione hears bodiless voices in her mind and sets out to find the identity of the person to whom the voice belonged.

_'I want to punch you in the face, you idiot, but I can't.'_

Hermione growled, loud enough that Pandora jumped. 

"Is something wrong?" the Ravenclaw asked, concerned. "You keep growling."

Hermione managed a small smile. "Nothing's wrong," she said. "Just ignore me."

The truth was, something was wrong. Since...the kiss incident, she'd kept hearing voices in her head. Or more specifically, one voice.

It would have been easy to pinpoint who was poking around her mind and talking to her with Legilimency, but the voice was...bodiless. Kind of. She was sure someone was rummaging in her head, but the voice was neutral, like a Muggle electronic thing speaking. The only clue she had to who the voice belonged to was what it said, but that didn't help, because everyone had their inside thoughts and many students at Hogwarts wore masks, so these could very well be Narcissa Black's thoughts.

Pandora frowned at her, but didn't question her further. Hermione Dagworth-Granger was a force to be reckoned with, especially if you tried to pry into her business.

Hermione finished off the conclusion to her Care of Magical Creatures essay, and offered it to Pandora, who skimmed it briefly before putting it down and scrawling something on her parchment. Hermione pulled a fresh piece of parchment towards her, and began writing Ancient Runes translation.

_'Where the bloody hell is Cissa? Hmm, probably with Lucius. I'll do that one later.'_

Hermione's fingers tightened on her quill so much that her knuckles whitened and the quill snapped. "Ugh!"

"What's wrong, Hermione?" asked Pandora, looking very concerned and confused.

"Nothing," Hermione sent her a reassuring smile - which was probably a grimace, but she didn't care. What the voice inside her head had just said gave her a clue to who it belonged to.

'Cissa' was probably Narcissa Black, because Hermione knew, from eavesdropping, that her close friends and family called Narcissa Black 'Cissa'. She also knew, through Hogwarts's rumour mill, that Narcissa was being courted by Lucius Malfoy, so it was normal if they were out together. 

This person the voice inside her head belonged to was probably close to Narcissa, considering that he or she called her 'Cissa'. That didn't help too much, because the Slytherins were ridiculously secretive, but it was a clue and she was going to use it.

With a flick of her wand, Hermione mended the quill and continued writing. Her peace lasted all of three seconds before the voice piped in again.

_'Stupid Avery...what an idiot! Did he actually think that he could get that past McGonagall? She might be a Gryffindor, but at least she's not an idiot! How he got into Slytherin, I have no idea! I wouldn't be surprised if he forget the bloody password! It's not even hard to remember!'_

Hermione leaned back and closed her eyes, setting her quill down beside the parchment carefully. Alright. More clues. This person didn't like Avery, but that didn't help, because unfortunately, the Averys were high in pureblood society (which meant that they bribed everyone) so this person might not have wanted to be on bad terms with Avery. The fact that this person knew that Slytherin's password was not hard to remember implied that this person was a Slytherin. Hmm. One more clue, and she could figure out who this was, and she could actually get back to doing her homework. She really needed to do it now.

After a few seconds, in which there was complete silence in her mind, Hermione exhaled and picked up her quill again. She set it on the parchment and was just about to write when that annoying voice pierced her mind once again.

_'Mother wants me to join them, doesn't she?'_

Then in front of her eyes flashed a picture of a stern-looking woman with grey eyes, black hair and high cheekbones. She stared down her nose, proud and haughty.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

 _Walburga_ _Black._

She would know the woman's picture anywhere. It had been Hermione accidentally bumping into the Blacks at Diagon Alley that started her and Black's (the younger one) rivalry. The woman had looked down her nose at Hermione and made a few disparaging remarks about her family, which made Hermione hate her even more.

And only one person was 'close friends and family' with Narcissa Black, a Slytherin, and the child of Walburga Black.

Regulus - _fucking -_ Black.

* * *

Needless to say, Black was rather annoyed when Hermione stormed into the library and over to one of the back tables, hidden very well by a towering shelves of books on all sides, before promptly grasping his arm and pulling him out of the library, into the hallway, down the stairs and into an unused classroom.

When she had securely locked and warded the door, she glared at him. "What the bloody hell are you doing in my head?" she demanded.

As if to accent her point, the annoying voice in her head - which she now identified as Black's - said, _'What in Merlin's name is she talking about? Has she gone raving mad?'_

"I am not poking around in your head." the Slytherin returned smoothly, without a change in expression.

"You. Are!" Hermione raged. "I just heard your voice in my head! You said, what in Merlin's name is she talking about, has she gone raving mad!" She stepped closer to him, so that they were nose to nose, and she could see those startlingly beautiful grey eyes very well and - 

_Shut up me!_ she reprimanded herself. _This is not the time to moon over Black!_

"I assure you that I am not," replied Black, his face not even flickering. Damn those stupid pureblood masks!

"You are!" said Hermione loudly. "You're -"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because Black's lips captured hers.


	6. Research - Regulus Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus does a bit of research.

"Sorry, Regulus, but I didn't hear what you were saying," Severus Snape said boredly, not looking up from his book.

You could practically hear the younger wizard's teeth grinding. "I'm not repeating it."

The sixth-year Slytherin didn't look up from the potions book he was currently reading. "Then why are you asking me anything?"

Regulus's hand twitched for his wand. "Fine."

A shark-like smile appeared on Severus's face. "And..."

Regulus took a deep, slow breath, glaring at Severus as he did so. Then he said in a very rushed voice, "Dagworth-Granger said that I was using Legilimency on her, I told her I didn't, she insisted that I did, and I kissed her to shut her up."

Finally, Severus closed his book. His pitch-black eyes glittered. "Much better."

"So..." Regulus drew out the word slowly, staring all the while at his friend.

Severus tapped the corner of his mouth with his wand. "I think I read something about that?"

"About _what_?" Regulus demanded irritably. 

"The voices," Severus replied. "Sometimes, you can hear your soulmate's voice in your mind. That's not too common, though perhaps some of its rarity is credited to the increasing number of people who do not acknowledge their soulmates." he paused. "Can you hear her voice?" he asked, his voice softer than Regulus had ever heard it.

"No."

"Well, that's not rare. Usually, only one soulmate can hear the other's voice."

In a rare display of weakness, Regulus slumped onto his bed. "And I should do what, because what?"

"You should wait and be patient." Severus replied, returning to his book again.

Regulus's teeth gnashed together. "And..."

Severus raised a black eyebrow. "You want me to expand?"

"Obviously," Regulus snarled through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid I cannot," drawled Severus, who was taking great delight in Regulus's struggles.

"Then what use are you anyway?" the silver-eyed Slytherin fumed. He made a big show of stomping out of the room, slamming the door shut, and leaving the common room.

* * *

For the millionth time, Regulus got up and shoved the book he was poring through back into its shelve. He ran his finger across the spines of the books, and paused suddenly.

He drew his wand and siphoned away the dust on the spine of the book. It glowed with magic, bright and alluring. 

_Soulmates: A History._

Regulus snorted at the similarity of this title to the one of _Hogwarts: A History_ but drew it out. When the book was fully out of the shelf, he ran a scattering of tests on it, and when he was finally sure that it didn't carry a jinx or a hex that could kill or seriously maim him, Regulus walked back to the little table in the back of the library that he'd occupied and sat down.

He browsed through the book for a good five minutes, before landing on the chapter that contained the information that the Black so desperately sought out.

_Soulmate Signs_

_When the soulmates have acknowledged their soul bond, soulmate signs surface. Soulmate signs include mind connections, body connections, and shared senses. They push the soulmates together, in the case of the soulmates being sworn enemies (though that is extremely rare)._

Regulus snorted. It seemed that a lot of things were special about him and Dagworth-Granger.

He flipped through the introduction on soulmate signs, and then read:

_A rare soulmate sign is the connection of body. If one soulmate is hurt, physically or mentally, the other will feel it through their soul bond. The last time that this soulmate sign surfaced was in 1883, in the soul bond of Connor Fawley and Gemma Blishwick._

Hmm. He could expect that in the future; after all, what was just one more pain in the backside - er, soulmate sign on top of it all?

* * *

Dagworth-Granger's golden eyes stared into Regulus's silver ones. They were unblinking, fierce and defiant.

Their staring contest commenced, both of them standing in the alcove that Regulus had pulled Dagworth-Granger into and glaring into each other's eyes. Finally, Regulus tore his gaze away from her. She smirked, knowing that she had won.

She might've won this fight, but she hadn't won the war.

"So, Black, I assume you have a reason for dragging me into an alcove and staring at me?"

Like he was the one who started glaring first.

"I do," he replied, making sure to keep his demeanor the same and his temper under control. It wouldn't do to lash out at her, with what he'd read about body connections (he had a feeling that they had it; after all, they already have mind connections, body connections were practically guaranteed).

"So..." she drew out the word slowly, fingering her wand.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, and flung her the book he'd borrowed from the library.

She glared at him, but caught the book, flipping it to the page that he'd marked. After a good thirty seconds of complete, utter silence, she said finally, "So I guess I should be expecting body connections, uh?"

"What -" Regulus blinked, then scowled. "Bloody mind connection."

She smirked. "Sometimes it comes out useful." Dagworth-Granger disappeared behind the book again, and after another minute, she closed it tenderly and pursed her lips. "Since you were so horribly mistreating this precious book, I shall take the liberty of returning it to the library. In the meantime, please refrain from doing anything stupid."

As Dagworth-Granger slipped out of the entrance to the alcove, Regulus seriously considered hexing her.

* * *

"And the great Black returns," Severus drawled, not looking up from another potions book.

Regulus scowled. "Please refrain from doing that in the future."

"So?" Severus sat up straighter. "What did you do?"

"Research," answered Regulus. 

"You look shaken," Severus noted mildly.

"I do not," argued Regulus. "You're hallucinating."

Severus snorted, returning to his potions book again, not sparing his friend another glance. "I'm hallucinating and you're a Gryffindor." Then he paused, and frowned. "That's likely," he mused. "You've already done how many Gryffindor things ever since -"

"Shut up!" Regulus growled.


End file.
